MIA
by Lorr
Summary: Sheppard takes a small device, thought to be Ancient, that kills Wraith onto a hive ship alone. Before he can leave the ship, it takes off. Follow on to Voices, published 6.15.05. Complete
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** MIA

**Author:** Lorr

**Genre/Rating:** General

**Character:** Weir, Sheppard, Beckett, McKay, Ford, Teyla, Ronon, Caldwell

**Disclaimer:** The characters and universe do not belong to me. I'm just playing here, and it's been fun.

**Spoilers:** I don't think so, but apologize if there is.

**Background:** This follows on from Voices, which is posted on this site. Since that was written in script form, and is a little difficult to read because of formatting problems, I'll give you a brief background to set up MIA. I think it is worth the effort, but that's up to you. A device was turned on in Atlantis that interfered with certain vital crystals. As a result, the City slowly shut down, including the Stargate, shield and Jumpers. Also, everyone with the Ancient gene becomes ill. It is determined that the gene is producing large amounts of damaged protein that is essentially poisoning them. If you want to know more or read the resolution, you'll have to read the script.

They sat around the conference room table, looking anywhere but at each other. Each was dirty and exhausted. None of them could look at Elizabeth Weir when she entered with Maj. Lorne. They started to stand, but she motioned for them to remain seated. Elizabeth and the Major walked around the table and sat down as the door closed. Almost immediately, the door opened again and Rodney McKay burst in.

"What the hell happened?" McKay demanded as he glared at Ford, Teyla, Ronon and the two Marines sitting at the table.

Elizabeth cleared her throat. "Dr. McKay if you are going to stay, sit down and be quiet." She turned to Ford. "Lieutenant?"

McKay nodded and dropped into a chair as the door closed. Lt. Ford finally looked at the faces around the table. He and Teyla were ashen. Ronon and the two Marines were stony faced, focusing on the wall opposite. Ford swallowed hard before he spoke.

"He's gone, Ma'am. He was on the Wraith hive ship. We searched after it lifted off, but couldn't find him…" His voice trailed off.

Elizabeth bowed her head a fraction. "From the beginning, Lieutenant."

He swallowed again. "The hive ship was there, about five miles from the Gate, just like the intel said. Everything seemed quiet, so we scouted around for any activity and a way in."

Teyla looked at Elizabeth for the first time. "It appeared as if the Wraith were still asleep."

Ford glanced at her. "We located a point of ingress and observed it for a while. There was no activity at all, so Col. Sheppard said he was going to take the device in. He ordered us to stay outside and..."

"He what?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

"Is he insane?" McKay asked loudly as he held up one hand and looked at the ceiling in supplication.

"He said it would be easier for one person to get in and out undetected. The Colonel said he knew where the device should be planted and it would be better to do it alone. He wanted us to take up positions to cover him if he needed it on the way out."

"Col. Sheppard has been on hive ships before. I believe it would be easier for a single person to get in and out unseen." Teyla glanced around the table.

"She's right. We did try to talk him out of it, but if the device was going to go onto the ship, it was the right way to do it." Ford paused momentarily. "We heard no alarm."

McKay persisted. "Well, why did the Colonel have to be the one to plant it?"

"Sir, he said it shouldn't be activated until it was onboard the ship…"

"So that the energy signature wouldn't be detected." McKay finished. "We don't know if the Wraith would be able to detect it or not."

"Are you sure he got inside?" Elizabeth spoke softly.

"Yes, Ma'am. We moved to take up covering positions where we could each see the entrance." Ford looked straight at Elizabeth. "About thirty minutes after he went in, we heard a low, kind of whining, noise. We realized it was the ship's engines coming online. It happened so fast. Within minutes, the ship started to move. I had to scramble to get out of the way of falling debris."

"So, no-one saw if he got out or not?" Elizabeth asked.

Ronon spoke for the first time. "I had a clear line of sight and watched the whole time. I did not see the Colonel leave the ship."

"We hoped he may have gotten out a different way so we searched the perimeter of the ship's landing area twice to see if we could find him. There was no sign anywhere. We came back only because it got too dark to do more." Ford was clearly drained.

"We have to go back. He could still be there and he might be injured." McKay stood up.

"There is no moon, so it is quite dark. The terrain is very rough and dangerous. If he is there, it would be quite easy to miss him even though he might be close by." Teyla looked down at the table. "It will be light in about nine hours."

Elizabeth noticed. "Teyla, what is it?"

The young woman raised her eyes and took a deep breath. "I do not think Col. Sheppard made it off the ship."

"I do not believe so, either." Ronon agreed.

"Why not?" Lorne spoke for the first time.

"The hive ships are very large. He would not have had time to reach any other exit. Ronon was able to see the point where Col. Sheppard should have exited the whole time. Even if he did get out unseen, we were able to search that area almost immediately after the ship lifted off." Teyla looked around at them.

McKay spoke up. "Wait, Lt. Ford said debris fell from ship. Could the Colonel have been buried under some of it as he got out?"

"No, Sir. We thought of that." Ford shook his head. "That area of the ship wasn't very overgrown, so there was wasn't much debris but I think we need to continue to search, just in case he did find another way out."

"I agree. Maj. Lorne, please organize as many search parties as possible to set out when it is light on P6R473." Elizabeth stood up suddenly. The others scrambled to their feet. "The Daedalus is due back tomorrow afternoon. As soon as it arrives, I'll ask Col. Caldwell to send more teams to assist. Now, all of you go to the infirmary for a check-up and then get some rest."

Eight hours later the Gate room began to fill with personnel. Teyla, Ronon and Maj. Lorne divided up three teams each of six heavily armed men and women. Each team included at least two members holding life signs detectors. Dr. McKay, Lt. Ford, Dr. Beckett and two more Marines stood nearby with Elizabeth Weir. Beckett clutched a medical kit. A couple of dozen other people, both military and civilian stood around, watching anxiously as the search teams prepared to leave.

"Elizabeth, we'll search from the air. When we find him, we can bring him back through the Gate faster. Carson should be there in case he's injured." McKay explained. He frowned. "We can also watch the sensors for any approaching Wraith ships.

"Yes, Rodney. I wish I could send more, but with the two teams already off-world, we can't. It isn't as if I don't have enough volunteers." Elizabeth said as Teyla, Ronon and Lorne approached. "Everything ready? Why aren't more of you going by Jumper?"

"Yes, Ma'am. The Jumper will drop Teyla and her team near the site. We could miss the Colonel from the air if he's under any debris or brush. Ronon and I are going to spread out and start the search from the Gate back to the ship's site. If he's there, Col. Sheppard may have tried to get back to the Gate." Lorne checked his watch. "We think it should be dawn there any time now. Do we have your permission to embark?"

"Yes." She turned to McKay. "Rodney, Carson, you and Teyla should get up to Jumper bay."

As Teyla and McKay, and their teams, headed to the Jumper bay, Dr. Weir walked up the stairs to the Gate operations level. The teams gathered on the Gate room floor stepped back to clear the area for the wormhole to open. She nodded at the technician, who dialed the address. She then moved to the rail as the teams walked through. Moments later, the Jumper descended from the bay and slowly followed the teams.

Elizabeth murmured as the event horizon dissolved. "Please find him and come back safe."

Each morning, the search teams went through the wormhole to P6R473 with the hope of finding their missing comrade. Col. Caldwell was able to add four more teams of six men and women to the search upon the Daedalus' return to Atlantis. Now that the big ship was in orbit, a second Jumper was added as well.

The search pattern was expanded to a point far beyond what would be reasonable for even a healthy man to wander. Each evening, they returned empty-handed and dispirited, and with the occasional injury. Two sprained ankles, a broken arm and many scrapes and bruises went through the infirmary.

People not normally seen in the vicinity of the Gate room loitered in nearby corridors in hopes of hearing news. Each time the search teams returned, those waiting would watch closely for signs of Sheppard. Each time, they would disperse with disappointment written on their faces. The mood of the entire city became more and more subdued as the days passed.

Elizabeth Weir spent most of the time in her office. When she ventured elsewhere in the City, she was not surprised to see the concern. John Sheppard was not only the commanding military officer on Atlantis, he was well thought of by everyone. Except maybe Kavanagh, who did not like anyone.

On the evening of the fourth day, Dr. Weir, Dr. McKay, Maj. Lorne, Lt. Ford, Teyla and Ronon sat in the conference room with Col. Caldwell. The Colonel's face was set firm while the others could not hide their disappointment and despair.

Caldwell looked at each of them before he spoke. "You said yourself that you don't believe Col. Sheppard could have gotten off that ship. We have made a thorough search of an area much larger than warranted in the circumstances. He must be on the Wraith ship. There is nothing more we can do."

McKay, Ford and Teyla began to speak at once. Elizabeth interrupted. Her voice was flat. "I understand, Colonel."

"Elizabeth!" McKay was shocked. "We can continue searching after the Daedalus leaves tomorrow!"

Her eyes remained on Caldwell. "The Colonel is right, Rodney. Col. Sheppard is resourceful enough to have made sure we could find him or get back to the Gate on his own. We must assume he is still on the ship."

"Thank you, Doctor. It's true, the Daedalus is due to leave at 1100 tomorrow. But, if there was any real possibility Col. Sheppard was still on that planet, I would stay as long as it took to find him." Caldwell's voice softened. "Look, I wish it were otherwise. The Colonel is a good man. I know he is a friend of yours and a valuable member of this expedition, but he's just not there."

No one spoke for a long time so Caldwell finally broke the silence. "We'll need to let the SGC know during the briefing tomorrow morning. He'll be officially listed as missing in action."

"I would like to make an announcement to the people on Atlantis first, if that is okay with you." Elizabeth requested in a strained voice. "Even though John Sheppard is military, he has been, as you said, part of the expedition team and knows everyone here."

Caldwell nodded. "Of course. When?"

"Thank you. Tomorrow morning, before we contact the SGC. Say 0900?"

"That's fine."

The Colonel stood up. Only Elizabeth Weir's eyes followed him. Ford, Teyla and McKay stared at the table in front of them, feelings of disbelief and resignation mingling on their faces. Even Ronon's face was dark with anger and frustration as he glanced up at Caldwell.

"I am sorry." Caldwell turned and left.

"He could still be alive, couldn't he?" McKay asked hopefully.

Ford brightened slightly. "If anyone could get out alive, it would be Col. Sheppard"

"I wish that were so, but the Wraith can smell humans. It is not likely that the Colonel would be able to remain hidden for more than a few hours before being discovered." Teyla slowly shook her head twice. Her face was bleak. "The Wraith on that ship have been in hibernation for a long time. They would be hungry and looking for food."

"She is right." Ronon nodded. "He could not have evaded the Wraith for long."

"But the device. Wouldn't that help?" Ford asked anxiously.

McKay was dejected. "No. The device wouldn't work fast enough to help him."

Ford stood abruptly. "Col. Sheppard didn't give up on me. How can I give up on him?"

Elizabeth stood as well. "I'm not giving up, Lieutenant. I just don't know what more we can do."

Late that night, Elizabeth was back in her office. She was staring out through the glass towards the Gate room floor. They had lost so many since their arrival more than a year ago. Each loss had been a blow to all of the expedition members. But this one, this one would be hard for many. John had had such an impact on so many here, everyone. She felt a weight pressing down on her. It was so heavy, she thought it would crush her.

"It's not going to be the same, is it?" McKay's voice at the door made her jump. "Sorry. Do you mind some company?"

She smiled sadly and nodded at a chair opposite the desk. He handed her a steaming cup of coffee as he sat. "Thank you. No, it isn't going to be the same. Nothing will."

"For one thing, no-one else can use the Ancient technology as well as he does. It's gonna be harder to work a lot of the stuff around here." McKay did not see Elizabeth's frown. "And, he's very handy in a tight situation. He's…he's…Oh, who am I kidding? John's one of the two or three people I know that puts up with me."

One corner of her mouth turned up a little. "I noticed he seemed to have your number quite quickly."

"Yeah. Smart, too." McKay looked at her. "Who'd think that a pilot could be so, so…"

"Intelligent ?" Elizabeth offered.

"Did you know he was invited to join Mensa?"

"No. How did you find out?"

"He told me. The final riddle that led us to the ZPM of the Brotherhood of Fifteen on Dagan was on a Mensa test. John figured it out." McKay set his coffee mug down on her desk. "Come to think of it, he figured out a lot of things. He learned how to fly the Jumpers way too fast. And, how was he able to use the chair weapon without any kind of instruction? Sure, General O'Neill could, but he had the Ancient technology downloaded into his brain at the time. John made every single one of the drones count. And…"

"Rodney." Elizabeth tried to stop his rambling.

"Did you notice he doesn't always touch the Ancient technology to use it? At least, Ford and I have seen him just pass his hand above the controls and they come on." He passed a hand a few inches over his cup, wiggling his fingers. "Sometimes, he only has to walk into the room for the controls to light up."

"Rodney."

"He was giving me the solutions to problems, too. He'd always give me just enough and I was a fool to think that the ideas were mine. Damn." McKay sat back, a mild look of disgust on his face. "He's just so…so…"

"Rodney." She said gently now that he stopped talking.

McKay shook his head slowly then looked up at her. "What? Did you realize what was going on?"

Elizabeth tried not to roll her eyes. "Rodney, where are you going with this?"

"Well, I'm not really sure." McKay frowned and thought for a moment. "I don't know. It's just John Sheppard is too much of a mystery. I don't know anything about him, where he came from, his family, nothing. What do you know about his background?"

"He never really talked about it. I know only what is in his file and it doesn't say much except about his military service." Elizabeth smiled. "You know, he's a pilot, Rodney. They are supposed to be fairly intelligent and need to be quick thinkers. There is no law saying they have to be two dimensional."

"Yeah, I know, but there's more to it than that. He's just too…I don't know." He picked up his cup and sipped from it then sat forward. "You know, now that we have a ZPM, we can use the bio-sensor in the control room more. I may be able to calibrate it to study the people with the gene. We might be able to measure what happens when people with the gene use the Ancient technology. It'd be interesting to see the differences between those that need to use more or less effort. I can't wait to see what John would…"

McKay stopped and set down the cup again. He rubbed his forehead with one hand.

"I know, Rodney. It's going to be very difficult."

McKay's voice was bleak as he looked through the glass. "Elizabeth, he was more than the commanding military officer. He's been a good friend. Just by doing what he does, John made me a better man. I never got to thank him for that."

"None of us got to thank him for a lot of things." Her eyes followed McKay's to the Gate Room.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, it seemed as though people knew what was going to happen. A crowd of off-duty personnel gathered in small groups around the Gate room and the operations level. Many hovered near the corridors and in the corners, out of the way but close by. Sound came in whispers only. Most of those waiting were silent. Ronon stood alone in a dim corner at the back of the Gate room. No-one seemed willing to stand too near, and all carefully avoided looking in his direction.

A few minutes before 0900, Col. Caldwell beamed onto the Gate operations deck and headed for Elizabeth Weir's office. They came out almost immediately. Rodney McKay and Carson Beckett followed them. Lt. Ford and Teyla hurried up the stairs from the Gate room floor. They stood at the top of the stairs next to Maj. Lorne, unwilling to go closer. Elizabeth acknowledged them with a small tilt of her head. She stopped in front of the communications console, checked her watch and nodded at the technician sitting there. The young woman pressed a key.

"May I have your attention, please? This is Dr. Weir. I have an announcement." She paused and took a deep breath. "As you probably already know, Lt. Col. John Sheppard went missing on a mission four days ago. After an exhaustive search of the planet where he was last seen, we believe that he is on a Wraith hive ship which took off a little while after he boarded it. We do not know where that hive ship is or its destination. So, it is with great regret that we must assume Col. Sheppard is missing in action. We will be transmitting this information to Stargate Command later this morning. Thank you."

The technician at the communications console touched a control to cut the broadcast. The people gathered on the Gate room floor, the control area and nearby corridors silently turned and left. Within minutes only the personnel on duty, Caldwell, Elizabeth, Ford, McKay, Teyla and Beckett remained. Ford and Teyla began to descend the main stairs.

"Dr. Weir, shall we get ready for our meeting?" Col. Caldwell spoke softly.

She nodded and they turned to go to the conference room, McKay and Beckett following them. At that moment, Elizabeth Weir appreciated the Colonel as a person more than she thought was possible. She knew he did not like John Sheppard, so she was grateful for his sensitivity. Of course he must understand what it felt like to lose a friend and colleague.

Suddenly, the Gate began an off-world activation. Everyone that had moved out of the shadows and corridors began to scramble back.

"Turn on the shield!" McKay yelled as he, Elizabeth, Caldwell and most of the others rushed to the rail. They all saw the glittering shield form. The activation sequence completed and the event horizon appeared behind the shield.

"Do you have any teams off-world?" Caldwell asked.

"Two, twelve personnel altogether." Elizabeth watched the Gate. She was trying not to get excited. "They're not due back today."

McKay turned to the IDC computer, nervously glancing back at the Gate every few moments. "Nothing yet."

They waited long seconds. Elizabeth looked anxiously at McKay. "Anything?"

McKay shook his head then froze. He looked up, disbelief on his face. "It's his! It's Col. Sheppard's IDC! Lower the shield."

There was an intake of breath around the entire room.

"Belay that order!" Col. Caldwell bellowed over the growing murmur around him. The noise died immediately. "We need to confirm it really is him."

"He's right. Open the frequency." Elizabeth pointed to the communications technician again, who quickly touched a few keys then nodded at her. "Who is this, please?"

"Sheppard. Can I come home?" The voice was rough, tired.

"Colonel, you have been missing for four days. We need to know you're who you say you are and that you're alone." Caldwell spoke firmly.

"Where are you, John?" Elizabeth asked. Her heart was pounding.

"M5S…No. P7 somethin'…Not sure." The voice cracked. "'Sorry I didn't call to tell you I'd be late."

"It's him. Open the Gate!" McKay demanded. The assembled crowd turned to look at the people around the Gate control console.

Caldwell nodded and McKay reached over and hit the control. The shield disappeared.

"Come through, John." Elizabeth moved quickly to the stairs as she spoke. McKay rushed to join her. Ford and Teyla were already at the bottom. The Marines around the perimeter still held their weapons at the ready, however.

A few seconds later, a barely recognizable figure staggered through the event horizon. Sheppard was covered in a dark substance that matted his hair and caked on his clothes and skin. He swayed for a moment as the Gate shut down behind him then slowly crumpled to sit on the floor, the P-90 slipping from his fingers.

"Stand down." Ford commanded the Marines guarding the Gate as he and Teyla reached Sheppard. They kneeled next to him. "Sir, are you alright?"

"Oh, my God, what's that smell?" McKay put his hand under his nose as he came closer. "What is that stuff?"

"Does it matter?" Teyla glanced back at him. She reached out to help Sheppard.

"No!" Sheppard whispered hoarsely, trying to lean away from both Ford and Teyla. His arms began to shake as he tried to steady himself.

"Sir!" Ford protested. "Please."

"Stop, don't touch him." Dr. Beckett ran forward, pulling on a pair of latex gloves. "We don't know what this is. Lieutenant, I have a medical team coming. Please clear the way for them."

Ford stood and started moving people away from the corridor leading toward the infirmary, with the Marines helping him. Beckett kneeled in front of Sheppard. The doctor could see he was losing consciousness. He eased the now limp man to a lying position.

"Well, laddie, where have you been?" Beckett leaned forward and peered at the closing eyes. "And, what have you gotten yourself into?"

A medical team ran up with a gurney. Gloved hands reached out and quickly raised Sheppard onto the gurney. They rushed away, followed closely by McKay, Ford and Teyla. Col. Caldwell and Elizabeth Weir watched them. He shook his head in disbelief as she smiled anxiously.

"Dr. Weir, you sure you don't want to go with them?" Caldwell asked her.

"Yes, but there is nothing I can do. Anyway, Dr. Beckett will stop everyone at the door. He'll let me know Col. Sheppard's condition as soon as he can." She looked up at him as she turned to the stairs. "Shall we get ready?"

Sheppard felt the cool, hard floor reach up and touch him. The quiet voice of the City pulsed through it and into his body. He could close his eyes now. He was home. Other voices and faces swim around him. Hands picked him up. The corridors moved past then bright lights drown out the moving shapes. The hands tugged at him, pulling off clothes. Warm water stung as it washed him clean. Someone whispered sleep, you're home.

The lights and noise drifted away. The hum of the City sang its lullaby, sang him to sleep.

Elizabeth Weir stopped just inside the door of the infirmary. At the far end of the room, she could see the shadow of a figure move behind a screen.

"Like I've told everyone else, Col. Sheppard is asleep. He cannot have visitors until tomorrow at the earliest." Beckett spoke softly, but firmly.

She spoke softly as well. "How is he, Carson?"

The doctor glanced around the edge of the screen. "Oh, Elizabeth, come in. Please come over and sit down, I'll be finished soon."

Dr. Beckett, gloved and gowned sat with his back to the door, working on the sole occupant of his small domain. He did not turn as she approached. She walked quietly around to the other side of the bed and sat on the chair next to it. John Sheppard was considerably cleaner than the last time she saw him. His shoulders and arms were bare. The edges of pads were visible under the edge of the blanket, the leads connected to various monitors.

The top end of the bed was slightly raised, putting him in a half sitting position. His hair was still damp. An oxygen cannula pressed into a bruise on the right side of his face. There was a small bandage just below the hairline. His left arm was propped on a towel covered pillow. Beckett was cleaning several cuts that stretched from the left shoulder to the back of the left hand. The doctor was using a magnifying lens and a strong light to peer closely at the wounds, carefully swabbing each before moving on.

Beckett looked up at Elizabeth. His expression was grim, but softened. "Don't worry, he's just deep asleep. I'm waiting for test results, but I'm fairly certain I know what the Colonel was covered in when he came through the Gate."

"I'm afraid to ask, but what is it?" She already knew, and felt chill inside at the thought.

"Well, I recognized the smell. I believe it's decomposing Wraith flesh, like what was left of the specimen in the lab when that damnable weapon was found here." He frowned as she gasped. "This stuff got into every abrasion and cut. And, as you can see, there are many. Most are fairly superficial, but there are a couple of deep ones. I have to make sure we get it all cleaned out."

"Aren't you going to stitch these?" She indicated the cuts.

Beckett shook his head. "No, a lot of them are already infected. It could just make matters worse to close them up."

Elizabeth gently picked up Sheppard's right hand. An intravenous needle was inserted in the back of the hand, the line leading to two bags, a large one of saline and a small one she recognized as antibiotics. A blood oxygen monitor cuff was clipped to the middle finger. She studied his exposed shoulders and arms. There were more dark bruises and scrapes.

"Is he going to be okay?" She asked the doctor. While one hand cradled Sheppard's hand, she reached up and touched his cheek with the other. She noticed a dry, unnatural warmth.

"Aye, I think so. But, he must have been on top of that device the whole four days he was gone. The load of abnormal protein in his blood is extremely high. Kidney and liver function have been affected." Beckett bent closer over the arm, flushing out a deep, three-inch long cut with a small bottle of sterile solution. "John also has a mild concussion and is quite dehydrated. The concussion is not serious, and normally, I wouldn't be too concerned about the dehydration. We'll just need to keep a close eye on him."

"He seems a little warm." Elizabeth moved her hand from Sheppard's cheek to his forehead.

"It's the infection. I'm working on it." The doctor straightened for a moment then reached for a fresh swab and dipped it in the solution he was using to clean the wounds. "I'm just glad John isn't awake for this."

"He wasn't…the Wraith didn't…" She did not know how to ask. She looked at the center of his chest, but the blanket was pulled too high to see if a Wraith had fed off him.

Beckett bent back over the arm. "No, no. The Wraith didn't touch him, at least not to feed."

Elizabeth momentarily closed her eyes in relief. She closed both her hands around Sheppard's. "Carson, did he said anything about what happened?"

Beckett did not pause in swabbing. "Mumbled a few words, but the only thing I could make out was 'home'."

"Home. He's called Atlantis that before." She smiled. "I suppose he's right."

"John has always been very comfortable here, hasn't he? Kind of strange considering he had never even heard of the Stargate before he came to the Antarctic outpost that day. I'll never forget seeing him sit in that chair and it reacting instantly to him. He didn't even know what it was and it worked for him. Quite astonishing, if you think about it." Beckett smiled up at her.

"Yes, astonishing." Elizabeth watched at the sleeping patient for a moment then looked at Beckett. "Should we send him back to the SGC?"

"I thought about that, but there's nothing they can do there that we can't do." He straightened and eased the magnifying glass off his head, laying it on the tray beside him. Then he pulled off his gloves dropped them in a basin with the used swabs. "As long as he remains stable, I'd rather not send him through the Gate. I may reconsider if there is no improvement by morning."

She exhaled in relief. "Okay."

"You don't need to stay, Elizabeth. He won't wake up before tomorrow." Beckett pushed his stool back and began to remove his gown. "I promise to come get you if anything happens."

She did not move. "Carson, I'd like to stay for a while, if it's okay."

"Aye, lass, I guess it will be okay for a while." The doctor smiled and stood up. He picked up the tray with soiled gloves, gown and swabs and walked away.

Hours later Beckett leaned over and touched Elizabeth's shoulder. She slowly stirred, then snapped awake. He put a finger to his lips then crooked his finger at her to follow. She stood up and followed when he turned and walked a few steps away.

"I need to examine him, and it's late. You should go get some real sleep, in your real bed, Elizabeth. I have plenty of people here to keep an eye on the prodigal son." He gently squeezed her arm. "He's stable and will be asleep for hours yet."

She looked from Beckett to Sheppard and nodded. "You'll let me know if there is any change at all?"

"You'll be the first to know." He patted her shoulder. "And, I think you should get a bite to eat. You haven't had anything all day, have you?"

"Yes, Doctor. Thank you, Doctor." Elizabeth said with only a little sarcasm. With one last look at Sheppard, she left.

Beckett gave her a reassuring smile as she walked out. The smile disappeared as he turned back to the bed, pulling a tray of equipment with him. He lowered be head of the bed as he motioned for a nurse to come in. She adjusted the screens to completely block the bed from view. At Beckett's direction, she drew three small vials of blood and a urine sample from the collection bag. Beckett listened to Sheppard's heart and lungs and checked his blood pressure.

"His fever hasn't gone down, Dr. Beckett." The nurse set the electronic thermometer on the tray.

"It's early, Patty. I really didn't expect much of a change yet. Take the blood and urine samples to the lab, please. Tell them to get me the results as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Doctor." She picked up the vials and walked out.

Beckett turned back to Sheppard. He filled a syringe from a vial on the tray and injected the contents into the IV drip line. The doctor then began to check every cut and abrasion. He slowly worked his way down the left arm then pulled the blanket back to look at a burn on the Colonel's right leg. A soft groan made him look up. Sheppard swallowed hard and licked dry lips.

"Water?" Beckett asked as he touched the control to raise the head of the bed a few inches. He reached to pick up a glass from the bedside table then guided the straw to his patient's mouth. "Are you in any pain?"

Sheppard focused on the doctor as he drank a few mouthfuls. Then his eyes slowly closed and he was asleep again. Beckett gently drew the straw from his mouth and set the glass back on the table. After checking the monitor's, Beckett returned to the examination.

"Why didn't you come and get me?" Elizabeth glared at Beckett. They were standing near the infirmary door, talking in low tones.

"Elizabeth, he was awake for only a minute or two. He drank a little water and went right back to sleep. And, he hasn't stirred since." The doctor shrugged. "You wouldn't have even had time to get here."

"How is he doing?" She turned to look at the sleeping figure at the far end of the room.

"Better. I don't think we need worry about sending him back to Earth. The fever is down a little. Not as much as I would like, but I believe we have the infection under control. The blood work we did earlier shows that the levels of the damaged protein are reduced and we are finding the normal protein again. Again, it's not as good as I hoped, but it is going in the right direction. Liver and kidney functions are better, too." Beckett rubbed his neck with one hand. "It's just going to take some time, Elizabeth."

She smiled. "Preferable to the alternative."

"Definitely." Beckett motioned for her to follow. He walked to a table near the door and picked up a small bowl. "We found this in his vest. It was hooked under the left shoulder."

She looked in the bowl and back up at the doctor in shock. A long metallic, claw-like object lay in it. "I thought you said the Wraith didn't touch him."

Beckett shook his head. "Not to feed. There's no evidence to suggest it. I think that this one might have tried to, though. It must have been caught in the vest as he pulled away. It had some of John's skin and blood on it. And, it would explain the cuts down his arm."

Elizabeth shuddered. "My God, that's too close."

"Aye." He set the bowl down on the table and headed for his office.

"Do you mind if I stay for a while?" She held up a data pad. "I promise to read quietly and not get in the way."

The doctor smiled and nodded. "For a little while. Having you here may actually help discourage other visitors. There has been someone in here about every five minutes since last night."

She settled in the chair to read the multitude of reports stored in the data pad. Every thirty minutes, Beckett or one of the other doctors or nurses came in to check monitors, connections and the IV bags. Occasionally, one of them would inject some drug into the IV line. They would enter everything on the data pad that acted as his medical chart. Little was said, but they always gave her their best bedside manner smile.

When they left, she picked up his hand and held it. His long fingers curled in hers, but she felt the heat of the fever diminish. She would watch him for several minutes, looking for signs of movement. When there was none, she would gently lay his hand on the bed and go back to the data pad. Some time later, Elizabeth set the data pad aside and rubbed tired eyes. She turned to look at Sheppard, who had not moved since she arrived. She was startled to see he was awake and watching her.

"Well, hello. And, welcome back." She smiled and squeezed his hand. "Let me get Carson..."

Before she could stand, Beckett appeared by the bed. "Back in the land of the living, I see. Would you like some water?"

Sheppard slowly dragged his eyes from Elizabeth to Beckett and nodded. After swallowing a few mouthfuls, he turned away from the glass.

"Thanks." His voice was a hoarse whisper.

"How are you feeling?" Beckett glanced from one monitor to the next. Elizabeth did not take her eyes off the Colonel's face.

Sheppard carefully cleared his throat. "Like crap. What happened?"

"Don't you remember?" Elizabeth asked gently.

Sheppard looked back at her. He closed his eyes in concentration. "Hive ship and…it's…not sure. Doesn't make sense."

"Carson?" Elizabeth looked up at the Doctor in alarm.

"Don't worry, it'll come back. Now hold still." Beckett pulled a pen-sized flashlight from his packet and quickly examined the Colonel's eyes with it.

"Wait. The others, how…" Fear crossed Sheppard's face and he tried to sit up.

"Stay still. They're all fine." Beckett pushed him back with little effort. "You apparently decided to go for a ride on a Wraith hive ship. You've been missing for four days."

"On a hive ship? Four days. On it?" Sheppard coughed and looked around for the water. He drained the glass Beckett held for him. "I don't know if I want to remember. How did I get back?"

"We don't know. You came back through the Gate yesterday morning. Now, be quiet. I want to listen for a moment. Breath deep." Beckett pulled out his stethoscope and listened to Sheppard's heart and lungs. After a few seconds, he put the stethoscope away and picked up a digital thermometer.

"How am I?"

"Better than you were, laddie. You ought not to be doing that again." The doctor smiled at his patient and then took his temperature.

"I agree, John. You can't do that again." Elizabeth said softly, but firmly. "I thought we had an agreement."

"Don't intend to." He closed his eyes for a long moment. They could see he was already tiring.

"I hope not." She smiled. "I'd hate to imagine who they'd send as your replacement."

Beckett set down the thermometer and picked up Sheppard's chart. "Okay. You need to get some sleep. There's plenty of time to talk later."


	3. Chapter 3

"Ow!" Sheppard blinked and looked around. He saw the empty chair where Elizabeth had been sitting before turning back to the doctor. "What time is it?"

"It's quite late. I sent Elizabeth to bed more than two hours ago. She was here most of the day, as well as yesterday." As he spoke, Beckett pulled a syringe from the Colonel's arm, swabbed the needle mark with an alcohol wipe and pressed a small bandage on it. He placed the syringe next to three vials of blood on a nearby tray.

Sheppard looked down at the cuts on his left arm, a confused frown on his face. "All day? Yesterday? How long have I been here?"

Beckett signaled his patient to be quiet and placed the head of the stethoscope on his chest. The doctor listened for a few seconds, moving the instrument from one place to another. Finally, he pulled the earpieces out of his ears and flipped the stethoscope around his neck.

"Since yesterday. You're better, and lucky to be so." Beckett picked up a chart and began writing. "How are you feeling?"

Sheppard winced as he moved his left arm. "Worse than last time."

"I'm not surprised."

"When can I get out of here?" Sheppard tried to peak at the chart.

"Not for a couple of days. You can't even sit up on your own yet." Beckett set down the chart and crossed his arms. "Colonel, you're lucky to be alive. The load of abnormal protein in your system should have killed you. Liver function is not back to normal, and you have an infection. This is a lot worse than last time. I need to keep you here a little longer."

Beckett saw Sheppard's face register disappointment. He smiled a little paternally. "I tell you what. We'll get you out of bed in the morning. And, if you're good, I might let you have some visitors."

"Oh, thanks." Sheppard mustered a little sarcasm.

"Rodney? Come in." Sheppard turned his head on the pillow just enough to see McKay hovering near the door. His voice was stronger, and had lost some of the raspy quality. "You're up early."

McKay looked around before walking in and standing next to the bed. "Yeah. Carson has had his staff running everyone off. Except Elizabeth, that is."

"What's been happening?"

"Not much. We only spent four days looking for you on that God forsaken planet. And, all the while knowing you were on the hive ship and probably dead. Then we all spent the next twelve hours wondering if you…you…" McKay's indignation suddenly drained away. He closely studied the man in the bed. It was as if he was seeing him for the first time. The bruises and cuts were vivid and raw. The monitors were still connected, as well as the IV drips and oxygen cannula.

Sheppard watched different emotions cross the physicist's face. "What's wrong?"

"We thought you were dead. We thought you died on that ship, killed by having the life sucked out of you." McKay struggled to keep emotion out of his voice as he dropped into a chair. "How the hell did you get out?"

"I don't know, Rodney. I remember only vague snatches. Beckett thinks more will come back to me. He says I need to be patient." The Colonel carefully rubbed his right temple and winced.

McKay started to stand up, worry on his face. "Are you okay? I'll get Carson."

"No, no, I'm fine. It just feels like I've gone nine rounds with Ronon." Sheppard shifted in the bed and grimaced at the effort. His voice was strained when he spoke. "Anything happen the last few days, besides that?"

"No, no. Everything pretty much came to a standstill while you were gone." McKay watched the Colonel. Except for a small lamp above the head of the bed, the lighting in the infirmary was low, but he could see the Colonel was in pain. "Are you sure you don't want me to get Carson?"

"I'm good, Rodney. Nothing's broken or seriously damaged or anything. Honest." Sheppard's smile only partly relieved McKay's concern. "No-one will tell me what's going on. I heard a couple of teams are off-world. Who, where?"

"Well, Pederson and Smith are on S36-426 with Corrigan and some of the others. They're going through an extensive network of caves that look like an underground installation of some kind. Seems a seasonal monsoon will cause flooding sometime in the next couple of weeks. The ruins are crumbling and might not survive another flood, so we need to survey it now. It's yielding some stuff that might be useful. I just hope they don't…"

"Rodney."

McKay stopped. "Sorry. Who else? Ah, Ronon is off chasing down a lead on some people from his home world."

"Really?" Sheppard raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. He didn't want anyone to go with him, so Elizabeth let him go alone. He's…a…not the easiest to…" McKay stopped and leaned forward a little. "How do you deal with him?"

"I guess I'm good at dealing with difficult people." The Colonel thought for a moment, frowning. "Where did the intel come from?"

"Actually, some of Col. Caldwell's men heard it on their last mission. Anyway, Elizabeth agreed he should try to find them. He'll be back in a couple of days. Caldwell brought that information back the day after you went missing, while we searching for you. Ronon stayed to help with the search. Then when you came back, he waited until Carson said you were going to be okay." He paused. "You know, just about everyone tried to volunteer to join the search."

Sheppard looked away, his face unreadable, but before he could say anything, Beckett walked up to the bed. Patty and a large orderly followed closely behind.

"Okay, Rodney, I think that's enough for now." The doctor folded his arms across his chest to emphasize his statement. "It's time for my patient to get up for a few minutes and we don't need an audience. Come back in a couple of hours."

"I got him out of bed for a walk earlier, but still can't get him to eat anything." Dr. Beckett stood at the infirmary door with Elizabeth Weir. There was concern in his voice. "He went back to sleep just a few minutes ago."

"He's okay, isn't he?" She almost whispered.

Beckett nodded and smiled at her. "Oh, yes, yes. John's much better. He's probably still a bit nauseous from the abnormal protein in his system. I expect he'll get hungry soon enough."

"Has he remembered anything else?" She asked quietly.

"I think so. He asked for Dr. Heightmeyer. She was here for a little while this early morning."

"Really? Why?" She was disconcerted.

"One of the nurses said she thought he had a nightmare late last night." Beckett frowned thoughtfully. "He asked to talk to Kate, so she came by. She left just before he dozed off."

"You're surprised he asked for her?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I've discovered that John is not an ordinary man. He often surprises me."

"I think he does that to everyone."

They approached the sleeping patient. Elizabeth could see his color was better, even though the monitors and IV were still attached. Beckett automatically checked the monitors and Sheppard's pulse. Elizabeth walked around to her chair. She indicated that she wanted to stay for a while, holding up the data pad she had brought. Beckett nodded and she sat down.

"You really don't need to stay, you know." The doctor spoke softly. She had been here a good deal since the Colonel came through the Gate, but he knew there was no use in arguing.

"I know, but I want to. And, I am actually getting some work done." She smiled at him. "I think there should be a friendly face here when he wakes up."

"I'm sure he would appreciate that, Elizabeth. Call me if you need anything." He smiled indulgently then left. Beckett had watched a solid friendship grow between the two of them. Sheppard was an easy man to like, but the ready smile and charm were deceptive. The Colonel was far more capable and intelligent than his demeanor implied. Beckett also knew he could be absolutely ruthless if need be. And, Elizabeth was an extraordinary woman. The doctor's own respect for her knew no bounds. Sheppard and Elizabeth were an exceptionally good team. Both had great strength and a deep sense of responsibility for the people here. Each was very protective and supportive of the other.

Elizabeth watched Beckett leave then settled back in the chair, data pad forgotten on a table at the head of the bed. She studied Sheppard's face for several minutes. He looked so young, despite the bruises and illness. As she watched, the muscles in his jaw, and his whole body, tightened. She noticed he was breathing faster. He began to sweat, and when she touched his cheek, the skin was cool. One of the monitors showed an increase in his heart rate.

"John?" Her voice was a whisper. She hesitated to wake him, hoping this would last only a moment. But, she became alarmed when his breathing became faster and uneven. The monitor indicated his heart rate was increasing, too. She could see his eyes moving very rapidly under closed lids. It was a nightmare. She leaned over him, grasped his right hand and gently shook his shoulder. She spoke louder, with urgency in her voice. "John, wake up! Wake up!"

Sheppard didn't seem to hear her. His breathing came in gulps between moments when he held his breath. She shook his shoulder and squeezed his hand harder.

"Wake up! John! It's okay, wake up!" Elizabeth looked toward the door. "Carson!"

"What is it?" Beckett ran in. He looked from Sheppard to the monitors to Elizabeth. The heart rate monitor read one hundred fifty. "We need to wake him up."

Elizabeth almost shouted. "John! Please wake up!"

"Colonel!" Beckett rubbed Sheppard's chest with his knuckles. "Come on. Open your eyes!"

Sheppard suddenly sat up. He turned and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, gripping the edge of the mattress tightly and bowing his head low. The monitor leads pulled tight. Elizabeth moved in front of him, placing one hand on his shoulder and another on his chest. She could see he was trying to break free of the nightmare, trying to control his breathing.

Beckett moved around to stand next to Elizabeth. He looked at the monitors. "Come on, son. Lay back down. You're not fit to get up."

They held Sheppard steady for a minute or two, glancing worriedly at each other. When his breathing and heart rate slowed, he straightened a little. He blinked at them then moved to lay on his right side. Beckett and Elizabeth guided him gently down and pulled the blanket up over him, carefully tucking it under his injured arm.

"Damn it." Sheppard spoke softly.

Elizabeth peered closely at his face. She brushed his cheek with her finger tips. "It was just a bad dream, John. Go back to sleep."

Beckett moved back around the bed and studied the monitors again. He put the stethoscope in his ears and held the membrane for a moment to warm it before placing it on the Colonel's back to listen.

Sheppard closed his eyes for a moment before speaking. His voice was so low, they had to strain to hear. "Not really a dream. I remember something. I remember what happened to the humans on the hive ship."

"What happened, John?" Elizabeth asked almost hesitantly. She sat down again and closed her hand around his. She could fell his breath on her hand as he tightened his fingers.

"They were slaughtered by the Wraith." He stared at some point past her shoulder. "I don't know how long I'd been there when Wraith started to run into the cocoon chamber and began feeding. More and more came. There must have been several dozen, and more kept coming. It was as if they couldn't stop themselves. They fed as fast as they could then moved on to the next person. They were pulling humans out of the cocoons, even dead bodies, and fighting over them. Sometimes, I saw two or three of them were trying to feed off a single person."

He stopped for a moment, breathing hard and eyes unfocused. Elizabeth and Beckett realized he was seeing it all over again. They waited patiently, understanding that he needed to get this out. Beckett slowly folded his stethoscope and stuffed it into his lab coat pocket. He automatically checked the monitors again.

"It didn't take long. The ship had been in hibernation for a long time, so there weren't a lot of humans left to feed on. The Wraith started to turn on each other. Then I saw what was happening to them." He fought to control his breathing. "The device was killing them. The Wraith had massive sores everywhere. They were dying. They must have thought feeding would help them. It didn't."

Sheppard exhaled a long, shuddering breath and closed his eyes. "I…couldn't move…didn't do anything. I just watched them die.

"John, there was nothing you could do." Elizabeth bit her lip. She looked up at the doctor who glanced at the monitors one more time, nodded and quietly left them alone.

"I know, I know. They would have died anyway. It's just having to sit there and do nothing while…" Sheppard looked at her. "I hope you never see a Wraith feed."

"I'm sorry, John." She didn't care if he saw the tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry I let you take that weapon with you, that I allowed the mission at all."

"Don't be." He half smiled at her and squeezed her hand a little. "It was worth it. There's one less hive ship out there for us to deal with."

Elizabeth leaned closer. "Do you want anything?"

"Please…water." He glanced toward the bedside table.

She held the glass for him to drink. After a couple swallows, he turned from it and nodded. She set the glass back on the table.

"Thanks." Sheppard closed his eyes for a long moment then turned his head a little and grinned lopsidedly at her. "You know, people are going to start talking if we keep meeting like this."

Elizabeth thought about it and nodded. "Probably."

The next morning, Elizabeth Weir entered the infirmary and was pleased to see Lt. Col. Sheppard sitting on a chair instead of lying in bed. He still had an IV, but his color was closer to normal and the monitor leads were finally gone. A food tray sat on a low table nearby, the remains of a meal on it. He was dressed in hospital scrub pants and a robe. His left arm was out of the sleeve and Dr. Beckett was sitting on a low stool and checking the wounds on his forehead and arm. Beckett saw Sheppard grin at Elizabeth and turned to glance at her and then went back to his examination.

"Ah, Elizabeth. The Colonel here thinks that just because he went for a walk and had something to eat, he's well enough to get out of here." Beckett glowered at his patient.

Sheppard rolled his eyes at Elizabeth as she approached. "Just to my quarters."

"You are going to stay here until I say otherwise." Beckett crossed his arms. "Remember, Colonel, I can ground you."

"He's right, John. You need to stay here until Carson thinks you are well enough to leave." She leaned against the bed, trying not to smile. It was very good to see the returning life in his eyes.

"If you behave yourself and continue to improve, I'll release you tomorrow afternoon. No sooner." The doctor sighed. He picked up a roll of surgical tape and started to close the cuts with it. "John, three days ago, we weren't even sure you'd survive. Please humor me."

Sheppard thought for a moment. "Okay, okay, okay. I'll be a good boy."

"Good. Now, your blood work is getting back to normal. And, these cuts are healing nicely." Beckett smiled. "You'll probably have some scars, but they shouldn't be too noticeable. You can put this on now."

Sheppard gingerly stuck his arm in the sleeve Beckett held up for him. He looked around the infirmary then at the others and sighed deeply.

"It's good to be home. I do remember thinking I might not make it back."

Elizabeth frowned and bit her lip. "Have you remembered anything else?"

"Enough." He looked at her, painful memories evident on his face. "Is the Daedalus due back?"

She nodded. "Tomorrow afternoon, and Col. Caldwell wants a report."

"I don't know if I want allow that." Becket crossed his arms.

His expression darkened. "It's okay, Carson. I need to do it sooner or later."

"Sir?" Ford and Teyla stood at the infirmary door. Teyla carried a neatly folded stack of clothes and Ford held a pair of boots. "We brought the clothes you wanted."

They stopped at Beckett and Weir's suddenly suspicious expressions. Sheppard smiled innocently when they all turned to look at him.

"I asked Ford to bring me some clothes in case the good doctor decided to release me, that's all. I'll need them eventually." The Colonel shrugged.

Beckett gestured to Teyla and Ford to come in. "Give them to me, please. I'll let the Colonel have them when he's fit enough to leave."

"Sir, are you sure you're okay?" Ford glanced at Beckett then back at Sheppard when the latter swayed slightly as he bent over to strap on his sidearm. The Colonel leaned against the infirmary bed to finish.

Teyla hovered nearby. "Dr. Beckett, you have given Col. Sheppard permission to leave the infirmary?"

Beckett sighed. "Yes, but against my better judgment. Immediately after the briefing, he's to go to his quarters. I'm counting on you two to make sure he does."

"Yes, Sir, Dr. Beckett. Glad to be of help." Ford smiled at the Colonel's scowl.

Sheppard glared mockingly at Ford and Teyla. "I'll remember this, traitors."

"We will be happy to be of assistance, Doctor." Teyla half grinned even though her concern was still obvious.

"Fine." Sheppard carefully adjusted the left shoulder of his shirt. He turned to Ford. "I want a MALP prepped to go through the Gate while I'm in the briefing."

"May I ask why, Sir?" Ford looked puzzled.

"I think I remember where I parked the car." Sheppard answered cryptically as pushed away from the bed and started to walk slowly towards the infirmary door.


	4. Chapter 4

Elizabeth Weir and Rodney McKay were already in conference room near Gate operations. Sheppard entered and carefully eased himself into the chair next to Elizabeth. Dr. Beckett sat to his right. Elizabeth and McKay watched the Colonel with concern then looked at Beckett.

"He should still be in the infirmary." Beckett said in response to their expressions. "I'm just tired of his nagging to let him out."

"You said I should get up and move around a little." Sheppard smiled. "Don't worry, I'll take it easy."

Col. Caldwell entered the room and the door closed behind him. When Sheppard started to stand, Caldwell waved him to stay seated. Caldwell sat and laid a data pad on the table. When he looked up at Sheppard he stopped.

"Should you be out of the infirmary?" Caldwell glanced from Sheppard to Beckett.

"Probably not…" Beckett began.

"Yes, Sir." Sheppard said quickly. "I'm much better, thank you."

"Okay, then let's get on with it. Dr. Weir said you had remembered some things." Caldwell stared at Sheppard.

"Yes, Sir." Sheppard took a deep breath and looked around the room. "As you know, I ordered Ford, Teyla and the others to take up position outside of the Wraith ship. I wanted to take the device in on my own."

"Why, Colonel?" Caldwell stared at him. "Didn't you think you'd need support?"

"I've been on a couple of these hive ships. There are very few Wraith moving around when the ship is in hibernation. I knew where to plant the device and it would be easier for me to slip in and out on my own. I had a life-signs detector with me so I could keep out of the sight.

"Anyway, I was on my way back out when I heard…no, felt, the engines come online. There still wasn't a lot of activity in my area, but I had to duck down a different corridor to avoid a couple of Wraith. By the time I was able to make my way around, the door had closed. Next thing I knew, the ship lifted off." He stopped to sip some water. The others waited silently. "The activity level picked up a bit. Some of the Wraith were waking, but not all of them."

McKay interrupted. "Why not? Didn't they all wake up on the ship where Col. Sumner died?"

"Yes, but I think that was because I killed one of the caretakers and we generally made a lot of noise." Sheppard spoke slowly, deliberately. "They wouldn't have a lot of humans to feed on after being in hibernation for so long. Probably just enough Wraith to get the ship off the ground and begin culling wake up at first. It would explain why I didn't see many of them the first day."

"Teyla thought they would be able to smell you and you wouldn't be able to hide for long. How did you stay out of sight?" Elizabeth asked.

"I know. I went back and picked up the device and found a network of service or air shafts or something. They seem to be between decks. Sometimes it would be at floor level and other times it would be ceiling level. I figured the smell of humans there would cover me, so I made for one of the cocoon chambers. And, I was hoping I might have a chance to get some of them out if the device actually worked. I ended up in a shaft that looked down into the chamber. From the amount of crap, it looked like no-one had been in there in many, many years. It was small and dark, so I thought there was little chance of any Wraith poking around.

"I think the ship went into hyperspace after an about an hour. Other than that, nothing seemed to happen for the first twenty-four hours." He paused for a few seconds. "I do not recommend anyone, Ancient gene or no, sitting on top of that device for very long. The effects are not nice."

"Why did you have it on you?" Elizabeth frowned at him. "Couldn't you have left it were it was?"

"I wanted to be sure they couldn't find it, and move it if I had to. It's a good thing I did." He glanced at Beckett. "The effects are accelerated and more pronounced."

Caldwell looked from Sheppard to Elizabeth and back. "What do you mean?"

Beckett leaned forward, but kept his eyes on Sheppard. "We believe the Ancient gene makes varying amounts of the protein depending on the outside stimulus. That damned weapon makes the gene produce very large amounts of damaged protein instead of the normal protein. The damaged stuff acts like a poison. It affects liver function, prevents sleep, causes altered mental status, and..."

"All of us with the gene had to be sedated until the device was found and deactivated." MacKay offered. "Except Col. Sheppard."

Beckett continued. "He refused to…"

"I don't think he meant that." Sheppard interrupted, watching Caldwell.

"You're right." Caldwell nodded. "Why was it a good thing?"

"I believe that the Wraith ships are more organic than we thought."

"Why?" McKay leaned forward.

"Well, late the first day I was in the shaft, some parts of the walls around me began to change. It's like they started to soften."

"Are you sure? It wasn't a hallucination?" Caldwell asked.

"It was real. Later on, it actually liquefied and I got some of it on my leg. Damn stuff burns."

"We thought it was a chemical burn." Beckett nodded. There was some on your uniform, but we couldn't figure out what it was."

"I saw some deterioration elsewhere, too. Not a lot at first, but it progressed quickly." He paused for a moment, frowning. "After a while, it sounded like there was more movement nearby. I was a few feet back in the shaft so that they wouldn't see me, but I could hear something. I moved forward until I could see down into the chamber and watched for a few minutes. Nothing was moving and the life-signs monitor showed it was clear in the immediate vicinity."

Sheppard stopped to drink from his cup then focused on it. "I couldn't identify the sound, and since whatever it was seemed to be moving deeper in the ship, I thought it best just to stay out of sight. I moved around in the shafts a little to see what I could, but the corridors were pretty dark and mostly empty. The noise I heard came and went over the next twenty-four hours. It didn't sound like it could be the ship, but I couldn't figure it out. Then, I heard something close-by.

"I crawled forward in the shaft to see what was going on. It was a brawl in the chamber where the humans were cocooned. There were several dozen Wraith in the chamber. They were feeding." He struggled to control his breathing. "More Wraith came and they were fighting over the humans. It was as if they couldn't control themselves. They were feeding as fast as they could, pulling people out of the cocoons. They were even pulling out dead bodies, looking for something to feed on."

His voice trailed off, but he still stared at his cup. Elizabeth looked down at the table and closed her eyes for a moment. She did not want to see him go through this again, but looked up, knowing she needed to. Beckett did not take his eyes off Sheppard. McKay watched in shock, but Caldwell's face was unreadable.

"John?" Elizabeth peered closely at him. "John, are you alright?"

"This needs to stop." Beckett stood up.

The movement snapped Sheppard back to the room. He looked around and blinked.

"The frenzy went on for a while. I don't know how long. When there were no humans left alive, the Wraith turned on each other. Then, about a dozen of them with stun weapons got there and started shooting everyone. I saw what was happening to them. I saw what was making them crazy." Sheppard was blinked and looked around the table. "The Wraith were…They were…melting. Their skin was discolored and they had huge sores everywhere. They were all dying."

"So the weapon does work." McKay was both disturbed and satisfied.

"Yeah." Sheppard nodded once. "The noise I'd been hearing was screaming. They were all waking up dying."

"John, I'm sorry. Do you want to stop for a while?" Elizabeth's concern was obvious. She saw Sheppard was pale and sweating.

He shook his head. "No, I'm okay. I want to finish this. Wraith were constantly in and out of the chamber for hours afterward, looking through the bodies. I suppose they were looking to feed. I couldn't read my watch anymore, so I don't know how long I was there. Sometime later, the ship dropped out of hyperspace. The life-signs detector showed it was clear in the area, so I left the shaft and went to try to find a way off. I came across dead Wraith everywhere. More than a few looked like they had been fed on, but most had died of the device's effects. They were decaying so fast, a lot of them were just puddles of ooze, like the specimen we had here."

McKay made a choking noise and screwed up his face. "Oh, God. You mean you…That's you were covered in?"

Sheppard grimaced at McKay. "Thanks for reminding me, Rodney."

"Why doesn't human flesh fall apart? Why only the Wraith?" Caldwell abruptly asked.

Beckett cleared his throat. "We haven't been able to determine exactly why because we haven't observed the process directly. However, we think that it may be something to do with the bug that we believe to be part of the ancestry of the Wraith. It must be in the combination of the two DNA, and the evolution of the species. We just know the walls of every cell are disrupted."

Sheppard rushed on, determined to finish. "It was easier to move around and I found another cocoon chamber. It was the same as before. All of the humans were dead, as well as a lot of Wraith."

"How did you get off, Colonel?" Caldwell was peering closely at Sheppard, eyes narrowed.

"I found the Dart hanger bay, but there were still a lot Wraith alive and moving around. The effects of the device must have taken time to permeate the entire ship."

"Like here." McKay observed.

Sheppard nodded. "I was having a lot of trouble concentrating so I went in circles a few times. Between that and dodging the Wraith, I have no idea how long it actually took me to get to the bay. Anyway, there were only two or three airworthy Darts left. It looked as if a couple of them crashed when trying to take off. Others had signs of being disabled by the device."

"In all this time, you weren't seen by any of them?" Elizabeth asked. She pointed to his arm. "How did that happen?"

"The life-signs detector helped me stay out of sight, but I picked up a stun pistol somewhere. It's much easier to handle. I used it on a couple of Wraith that I ran into. Luckily, they were already dying, so they didn't get up again. This happened when one of the Wraith grabbed me as I was trying to get to a Dart. He kind of fell apart when I shot him." His voice had dropped to a whisper and he closed his eyes.

"Colonel?"

Sheppard blinked and looked around. "Sorry, almost there. I realized we were descending. The Wraith were trying to land the ship. We must have come out of hyperspace near a planet. From what I had seen, the damage to it was getting bad. I came across a few places where the walls had melted completely through. They must have thought they had to land or it would break up.

"Anyway, something happened. At first the descent was under some control, but the damage must have been too severe. I barely got out before the ship rolled and began to burn in the atmosphere. I lost sight of it for a moment trying to keep the Dart under control. The next time I saw it, the ship was breaking up. I kept watching until it crashed then I went down to look for a Stargate. Thankfully, there was one on the planet. I think that's why the Wraith came out of hyperspace there."

The room was quiet for a full minute as the others absorbed what they had heard.

"Do you know where, the Gate address?" Caldwell leaned forward.

"I have no idea what the Gate address is. I didn't recognize the planet and didn't see any sign of inhabitants."

"Did you hear the voices?" McKay asked eagerly.

Caldwell looked from McKay to Sheppard and back. "Voices? What do you mean?"

Beckett spoke up first. "As I said, the side effects of that weapon were many, but one of them was a noise of some sort. It was something like white noise for almost everyone. Col. Sheppard heard…"

"I thought I heard voices talking in Ancient." Sheppard shrugged.

"He was the only one who heard actual voices talking. It was just noise to the rest of us." McKay persisted.

"Rodney, he was awake for a few days longer than the rest of us." Beckett glared at McKay. "We all might have heard voices if we hadn't been sedated."

"But he was speaking in Ancient, too, and in full sentences. He doesn't know more than a handful of words."

"Colonel?" Caldwell looked at Sheppard for an explanation.

"I really don't remember much, Sir. I think I was probably just repeating things I've heard people translating."

'You weren't. Besides, that doesn't explain how you knew where the device was, how to turn it off and how it works." McKay persisted.

"Rodney." Elizabeth tried to stop him, but she knew that once he was on a tangent, it was an almost impossible thing to do.

Caldwell's eyes narrowed. "No, it doesn't. I've read the report, Colonel. You can't explain it?"

"No, Sir, I can't." Sheppard admitted after a moment. He began to push his chair back. "If there's nothing else, Sir, I have…"

"Wait a minute. That was a very interesting story, but how can you expect anyone to believe that a device of that size could destroy a hive ship and kill thousands of Wraith?" Caldwell didn't move.

Elizabeth's voice was icy. "It brought this city to its knees and nearly killed a third of its personnel."

"I may have something for you to see." Sheppard took a deep breath before he stood up. "If you'll come this way, please."

Caldwell, Elizabeth and Beckett pushed their chairs back. The doors began to open. McKay stayed in his chair.

"Are you sure you heard nothing, Colonel?" McKay asked again.

Sheppard turned back and leaned over the table. His voice was shaky. "Rodney, I spent the better part of four days with several thousand dying Wraith all screaming in agony as every cell in their body disintegrated. I don't know if there were any voices whispering in my head. I don't know. Just leave it alone. Please."

McKay looked like he had been hit hard. "I…didn't…. I'm sorry, Colonel."

"Forget it." Sheppard waved his hand as if dismissing the subject.

"Yes, yes, of course." McKay almost whispered.

Sheppard straightened with effort and walked out to the operations area with Caldwell. Elizabeth and Beckett followed, both glaring at McKay as they left. He hung his head dejectedly for a few seconds before getting up and walking out.

As he approached operations, Sheppard nodded at Ford, who tapped the Gate technician on the shoulder. Within moments the wormhole was engaged and the MALP disappeared through it. Everyone crowded around computer screens to watch the image transmitted back from the planet.

Weir frowned at Sheppard. "M5S-273? Isn't that where you were when the trouble with the device started?"

"Yeah."

After scanning the area around the Gate for signs of Wraith, the Marine controlling the MALP asked. "Which way, Sir?"

They all waited as Sheppard gave directions and the Marine guided the MALP through the ruins. He gratefully sat in a chair pushed forward for him.

"I think I went through Gates on two uninhabited planets to make sure I wasn't followed, the one with the waterfalls and Athos." Sheppard explained as the MALP moved through the ruins. Several times, he asked the Marine to stop the MALP and scan the ruins so that he could get his bearings. "Okay, turn right about thirty degrees. Stop. See that column with the pile of rubble leaning on it to the left?"

"Yes, what about it?" Caldwell asked.

"I stashed some things under the column. There're a couple of data recorders and some other important looking stuff wrapped in my jacket." Sheppard looked at the Marine controlling the MALP. "Okay, turn back to the left thirty degrees."

"Where are you going now?" Weir asked.

"Just wait." He pointed to the computer screen. "See that high wall on the left in the distance? Go a few feet past it and turn left ninety degrees."

"It'll take a few minutes to get down there, Sir." The Marine drove the MALP carefully over the debris strewn ground.

"Colonel, you need to rest." Beckett peered at Sheppard. "I shouldn't have allowed this today."

"I'm fine, Doc. It'll only take a few more minutes." Sheppard leaned on the console for support. Beckett and Elizabeth watched him closely.

They all waited in silence, trying to catch a glimpse of what might be at the destination. Ten minutes later, the Marine wiggled the controls to make the MALP stop and turn. There was a stunned silence all around Gate operations. The image that appeared on the screen was a Wraith Dart.

"How did you fly it through the ruins at the Gate, Sir?" Ford asked. "We didn't take a Jumper there because of them."

"I flew as slow as I could and pulled up hard. I think I clipped one of the walls on the right, though." Sheppard exhaled. "And, entering the atmosphere on the planet where the hive ship crashed was rough. It's a little worse for wear, but might be useful. I must have thought this would be the safest place to hide it."

"Well, since it's been there for four days, it may be safe to assume that the Wraith didn't follow you and haven't tracked it down." Caldwell leaned closer to the screen for a better look as the Marine steered the robot around the Dart.

"Okay, Colonel, let's go." Beckett stepped forward. He motioned to Teyla and Ford.

"Well, it's all yours." Sheppard nodded and slowly stood up.

"Why didn't you bring the data recorders back with you the other day?" A chastened McKay asked quietly.

"I could barely carry my P-90 and I still wasn't sure the Wraith hadn't followed me. I was a long way from the Gate. I just couldn't carry them any more." He glanced back at him.

"Any other surprises out there, Colonel?" Caldwell looked from the computer screen to Sheppard.

"I don't think so, Sir. At least not that I remember." He turned and headed for the stairs with Ford and Teyla flanking him and Beckett close behind.

The End


End file.
